High school athletics have so far avoided the chopping block as school districts throughout the state struggle with budget deficits.

Yet prep sports remain part of the conversation.

“The budget crisis is having a large impact on high school athletics and I think it’s growing and seems to be having a larger impact daily,” said Jerry Schniepp, the new commissioner of the San Diego Section and formerly coordinator of athletics for the Sweetwater school district.

“Schools are discussing eliminating sports, eliminating possibly freshman athletics, just trying to figure out ways to meet the budget crisis.”

Duane Coleman, associate superintendent of the Oceanside district, is hopeful it won’t reach the point of slashing sports.

“Our school board is very supportive of athletics and we know the value it plays in our kids’ lives,” Coleman said.

Though high school sports generally make up a small percentage of a district’s overall budget — often about 1 to 2 percent — athletics are not immune to the belt-tightening taking place around them.

Mike Lewis, assistant superintendent in the Grossmont district, is cautiously optimistic about the status quo.

“As long as the budget crisis does not deteriorate further, I believe our district will make every effort to keep our current programs in place,” Lewis said.

Following is an overview of three areas drawing attention in our region:

Cutbacks

Schniepp said some teams have opted to play fewer games and reduce tournament participation to save on entry fees. Some have addressed reducing transportation costs. Others are recycling uniforms.

Coleman said Oceanside’s athletic departments discussed the cost of transporting teams last year.

“That’s one of the areas we began to limit,” he said.

The Poway district utilizes a three-tiered transportation fee system. The tiers are determined by the number of athletes in a program, the number of trips each program takes and the number of buses required to transport a team. Money is sought from students or their families according to the tier.

More athletes are wearing hand-me-downs.

“Teams are getting by with older uniforms or lower-quality uniforms,” Schniepp said.

La Costa Canyon Athletic Director John Labeta said in general teams are on a three- to five-year cycle.

“(Replacing) uniforms is an issue for all teams,” he said.

Rancho Bernardo benefits from an association with Nike and is able to replace unis more frequently.

“The discount we receive is significant,” said Peggy Brose, AD at Rancho Bernardo.

Schniepp recognizes that it’s relationships like those with Nike that schools are going to have to develop.

“The thing that will need to change for us to continue to offer the programs that we do is we’re going to need more support from our communities,” Schniepp said. “We need to be creative through corporate sponsorships.”

Fundraising vs. fees

While some districts across the U.S. have cut sports, others have increasingly moved toward pay-to-play models.

That’s not an option in California, which forbids a fee-based environment. Students are guaranteed a free public education, which includes extracurricular activities like sports.

Fundraising is allowed to augment athletic programs, but certain guidelines must be followed. For one, it cannot be mandatory. Gone are the days when an athlete felt obligated to sell his whole box of Sees candy bars.

Some say complying with the state law, whose enforcement has been more vigilant recently, is making it more difficult to raise money.

“Our ability to raise money the way schools always have has changed,” Schniepp said. “Obviously we need to follow the law.”

Monte Vista Athletic Director Zachary Peck said his ASB budget (not counting district-funded coaching stipends, transportation and officials’ fees) has shrunk by 40 percent from $50,000 in 2001. That leaves $30,000 in 2011 to pay for things like equipment, uniforms and tournament fees.

Fundraising is even more crucial for certain sports like lacrosse and roller hockey that aren’t funded by some districts. They’re dependent on campus funding and private donations.

But Peck said once parents become aware that schools can’t require fundraising or charge fees, they start balking at even the mention of making a donation.

“We never forbade student participation, but now it is very difficult for us to do any activity,” Peck said.

Booster clubs

Virtually everyone agrees that community support — though it varies around the county depending on demographics and family income — is an important part of surviving the budget crisis.

“Our parents and booster foundations have stepped up and attempted to fill the gap in funding athletic teams in an attempt to keep them at a competitive level,” said Bruce Ward, director of physical education, health and athletics for the San Diego school district.

Brose said transparency with parents regarding athletic department expenditures aids in their willingness to assist financially.

“We are blessed to operate in a community in which families haven’t been impacted as much by unemployment and financial hardship,” Brose said.

Labeta also emphasized the importance of supplemental help.

“Having active athletic booster clubs and very supportive parents is the main reason we are surviving,” he said. “Without them it would be a huge challenge to continue to make our athletic programs function.”